Shoulder to Cry On
by CaptainKrueger
Summary: "Ted was going to do everything he could to make Robin feel better. And if he could not accomplish that, he at least could not screw up at being a shoulder for Robin to cry on. At the very least, Ted could do that." In which a penny and a called off wedding have something in common. Barney bails; Ted's there for Robin when she needs him most. Be careful, diehard BxR fans.


Ted had moments where he would pause and reflect over and wonder what would happen if certain actions had not been taken and if certain events had not occurred. Like the lucky penny from a few years back. With the way Ted looked at things, picking up a penny on the subway had cost him a job opportunity. Picking up a penny had set off a chain of loosely related events that had ultimately prevented him from getting on that plane.

And now, as Ted trudged along the sidewalk, he was taking a moment to reflect over what had brought him to where he was in the present moment. Ted was taking the time to think about what had caused this giant mess.

/

_Robin and Barney's wedding bad been called off when the groom had shimmied down the drainpipe, stolen the car that was supposed to have whisked the seemingly happy couple off to the airport for their honeymoon, and had driven off. Devastated was only one way to describe Robin's condition. Ted, Lily, and Marshall had come to Robin's side when they found her weeping in the bridal suite. Her slender frame shook with sobs, and her hand was clasped over her mouth as her disbelieving blue eyes stared in shock at nothing in particular._

_The trio murmured her name, and all three tried to step closer to comfort Robin, but she told them to get out. Ted stared morosely at Robin as Lily and Marshall complied. "Ted?" Lily muttered, as if asking why he was not coming with them. Ted only held a hand up and shook his head, and Lily shrugged and closed the door behind her as she left._

_With Marshall and Lily gone, Ted stood still as he watched Robin crying in a way that only one who was absolutely heartbroken could. It felt like he had just reassured her that she was doing the right thing by marrying Barney, that she and Barney were going to be happy together forever. It was seeing her in her white, simple wedding dress that made Ted truly find peace with her marriage to Barney Stinson—and yet there they were. Barney had bailed on Robin._

_Robin finally noticed that Ted was still there, and she, with a quavering, stammering voice, begged him to leave her alone. But Ted was not leaving. Instead of leaving her with no one to talk to, no one to comfort her, Ted wrapped her smaller frame in his arms, and he kissed her forehead as Robin held onto him._

_Her body trembled, and her knees were too weak to hold herself up any longer, so Ted sank to the ground with Robin. He rubbed her back with one hand and stroked her soft hair with the other, and he stared somberly at the half-open window as he let Robin cry with no more interruptions._

_Because that's what Ted did best; comforting Robin—or at least being there for her—was what he did best. Even though he could offer her only the embrace of a friend, the comforting sounds of one who empathized, and the empty but well-meaning promises, Ted was going to do everything he could to make Robin feel better. And if he could not accomplish that, he at least could not screw up at being a shoulder for Robin to cry on. At the very least, Ted could do that._

_"Oh—oh, God!" Robin moaned, grasping onto Ted's lapels._

_"Shhh," Ted said soothingly. "I know, Robin. I know."_

_"You were right, Ted," Robin sobbed. "Li-Lil-Lily t-t-told me that you—"_

_Ted shushed her gently, knowing that neither one of them wanted to go there. It did not matter what Ted had said so many months ago, and really, he would rather forget and put that pitiful time behind him. All that matter was the present, and all that was important was lessening Robin's agony._

/

_For a while Ted had thought that Barney was going to realize his error and come back to beg Robin for forgiveness. That was rather optimistic of Ted, of course, and it did not happen. Barney did not come back._

_But Ted stayed until Robin decided that enough was enough and therefore was time to go. Before getting into a car with her father, Robin, with her ruined makeup, red eyes, and trembling lip, looked at Ted and thanked him while she hugged him. It was not a quick embrace. Ted hugged her as she held onto him like he was a rooted tree trunk in a fast-moving river, and everything and everyone was silent as the two friends held one another. Sniffling, Robin let him go and looked at him one last time, saying, "Bye, Ted," and then getting into the car._

_The door shut, the engine started, and Robin Sr.'s car sped off into the twilight, leaving Ted behind to ponder over how things had gone so terribly wrong._

/

So there Ted was, on a slow trek to the bus station, trying to come up with the event that had led them to this point in time. He slumped down on a bench as he awaited the bus, and his shoulders slumped as he leaned forward while his elbows rested on his thighs.

Generally speaking, Robin and Barney hooking up that first time could be considered the catalyst for this day. It was that first hookup that eventually led to the first time that they had gotten together. Even if they had broken up, Robin and Barney had never gotten over it, seeing how they had gotten together yet again.

But Ted realized that he could go further back if he wanted to. It all started when he first laid eyes on Robin. Because Barney had played a game of "Haaave you met Ted?" that fateful day, Ted and Robin had gotten to know each other, and consequently, so had Barney and Robin. Because Ted had integrated Robin into the group, Barney and Robin had gotten closer and had fallen in love.

But what if Ted went further than that? What if it all started when Barney had decided to take Ted into his care? If Barney had not been there to appoint himself as Ted's new best friend, there was a good chance that neither people would have been in his life. Whatever it was, it did not change the present, and one thing stayed the same: Barney had left, and Robin was broken up because of it. It was not as if Ted regretted meeting either one of them; it was just that he regretted that this had happened at all.

So there Ted was, lost in his thoughts, wondering how things were going to be from this point on. Because he was too busy concentrating on the issue at hand, he was not aware of the yellow taxi cab that pulled up. Ted paid no mind to the passenger that stepped out. He was too busy staring at the ground to notice the young woman who came out carrying a yellow umbrella and a bass guitar.


End file.
